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Sunday, February 27, 2011

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. ~Robert Frost

Over the summer, I stayed in Edgewater with two friends. They had moved into the apartment not too long before I had joined the group. They did not have a house warming party until almost a few months after moving in. Not only that, when I went to go see the apartment they had gotten the furniture only the day before. I was there when they decided to throw this party.

Because it was a party, I thought it had to be colorful. This apartment was a pretty tall building, that is why I stacked the pictures on top of each other. It looks like an apartment building, right? Back in the day, people use to hang their clothes outside on lines to dry. That is the memory I wanted to depict with the title of the layout "Housewarming Party". I also just realized in the our first date layout I also had buttons running along the bottom of the page. I really like my buttons. When I look at my layouts compared to other peoples, I feel very stingy with my materials. I keep my layouts really plain. I do consider myself creative, but when I look at other layouts, the details, layers, textures their layouts are more in depth and meticulous. My only attempt to embellish this page was with the flower stickers.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

I have this new desire to make cards. Any kind of cards- birthday, shower, baby, congratulations, get well soon, thank you-CARDS! Lately, cards have been the hot topic on scrapping blogs. If I had more time I would make cards, and start making cards for any occasion. Maybe more for birthdays than for anything else, because it is more likely to run into a birthday of someone than knowing someone that is having a baby.

I have been very organized and have been working on developing a daily reading list of blogs on Google reader to read. That's how I keep coming across so many pretty cards. Between class, work and interviews, I try to escape by browsing through blogs for inspiration and by catching up on new products that are coming to the market. But it is hard to keep up with the commenting and learning about each individual blogger's style. I am trying to be supportive to friends that have started their own blog by leaving comments whenever I have a thought or two to give. Though I have a very small reader pool, I am happy that I am really doing this for myself. I am making my memories count and to remind myself that I have creative thoughts too.

This is one of my very first layouts of my Germany trip. I cannot tell the history behind the place and I cannot tell you more than the name of the place. But what I can tell you is that launching fireworks has a very dirty aftermath. When we went on New Years Day, the white snow was covered in multicolor filth. I can also tell you that there is a cute little cafe in the place, but because it was cold and on New Years Day, they did not have many customers.

This is one of my favorites from the pile I made for v-day. The cluster of flowers is what draws me in the most. Seeing this as a 2-D picture does not do the plastic flowers justice. I'm thrilled to do the color combination of blue and brown. Extremely glad that I was able to add the orange and red into the layout. I would give credit to American Crafts because that is how the flowers were sold. It came in the color combination of light blue, red and orange. Ribbon was definitely a material I wanted to add to the layout, but having only one strip looked a little weird. So I covered the entire bottom with the brown and blue ribbon. Red lettering title "Limburg Monastery" was able to stay on the ribbon and stand out. Another difficulty I usually have and I had with this particular layout was with the vellum. I did not know how to attach it on to the picture. I wanted it to have a background and the picture was perfect in the sense had a bit of background room to the right of the picture. I folded the vellum to tuck it behind the picture so I could glue and tape it down. The rhinestones also were a great method to attach the other slide of the vellum to the picture without covering too much up. Do you even see the progression in rhinestone sizes?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

For some reason, I keep hearing things about Germany. Whether it is the H.C. Starck case I am reading for class, the speaker from BASF that comes in is from Germany, the things I eat like my Dannon yogurt or my Midol from Bayer is all made by a German company. You do not notice these things unless you are exposed to it intensely. It does not mean I have had enough; I enjoy my German company very much. Or I would not be interested in learning more about the culture. Oktoberfest- the beer holiday, or at least that is what I call it. I didn't have any beer that day, but I did have a bretzel. Doesn't Lena look great in her traditional outfit?

This is another layout from Martin's Valentine's Day gift. I like how I used the heart hole-puncher along the bottom so that I can add a layer behind the main background sheet. It adds dimension to my layout. Originally I planned to use the same pattern paper as the butterfly and 2010. I wanted to do a color combination of brown and pink so I decided to use my left over crepe paper from my graduation party. I love using leftover scraps. I pulled out my MM Slice to create the die cuts of the butterfly, flower and 2010. This was done ages ago when I was bored one day. I decided to cut a bunch of die cuts at once. It saves time and clean up to just find a day and be constantly cutting out whatever I wanted. I need to purchase more design cards.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Yesterday, my Godfather took me out for a birthday lunch in Philadelphia. Grams couldn't make it because she went on vacation to Maine, but I was allowed to invite Martin. I had an awesome meal with two of my favorite people. I selected the restaurant Le Bec Fin , the first two pictures below shows how elegant the decor is inside the relatively small restaurant. I read rumors saying how they may be closing down temporarily in the spring. That's mostly why I wanted to go there, but it also helped that we made a pit stop at Anthropologie before lunch so I could use my 15% off birthday coupon.

Dad's Selection

Roasted Chestnut Soup

Filet Mignon

Wendy

Martin's Selection

Roasted Spanish Octopus

New York Poussin

Cheese Cake

My Selection

Mushroom Ravoli

Mushroom Soup in a Cup

Duck Margret

Wendy, Cheese Cake and the Grand Marnier Souffle

Table Picture

Then we went to Reading Terminal Market to pick up many goodies. Dad got cookies, bread, deli meat, cupcakes, rice krispie treats, bagels, a muffin and anything else I wanted from the busy-busy market. We left the market with our hands full and pockets almost empty. It was super busy on a Saturday afternoon, the traffic going into Philadelphia looked horrific as we drove passed it going home.

Reading Market's Flying Monkey Cupcakes

We had a few more stops before heading back to Newark, but it was quite a fun and eventful day.

Friday, February 18, 2011

This was page two of my Valentine's day present for Martin. In this layout, I used lots of the Making Memories Blossoms and Buttons. I like to do many of my layouts in a symmetrical format. Having things balances and even on both sides varies per scrapper. On some days I like my layouts like the one above. Other days, everything could be to one side and "feel" perfect too. There was much manipulation for this layout. The "our first" had to be hand cut from the sticker batch. It was originally "my first". I always have a hard time attaching the clears from Making Memories. In the past, I have used brads, staples or ribbon. This time I used picture corners to keep the Making Memories Doodle Clears over our picture. Stay in tune for more Valentine present layouts. In March, Crop Chocolate Design Challenge is Travel. I am so glad that I have an immediate reason for scrapping my Europe trip this past winter.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The language of friendship is not words but meanings. ~Henry David Thoreau

For the next coming two months, I will be on my toes waiting for any company to give me an interview. Anyone to give me a chance to prove my worthiness of receiving a job offer. I was joking with my classmate Dave, who has already received an offer and waiting for some more, telling him that God has given me a more difficult path in terms of finding an internship. God did this only because he knows I can handle it. If this was only true, this hunt for a summer internship has been a roller coaster. Thinking about the interview scares me too. If I could only be little again...

When I was little, I dreaded Saturdays. While all my friend basically had the weekend off, I had to go to Chinese school on Saturday morning for 3 hours. This was my life for ten years. I do not think I ever knew what a weekend was suppose to feel like. I only knew of Sunday. As I grew older the more friends I made, the more fun the weekend was. I was one of the youngest in the group. With a blink of an eye, it is now eight years later and we all are in our twenties. For a few occasions we have get together with our Chinese school principal, Ms. Chan. We have another one coming up in March. Hopefully school does not boggle me down and I can attend this get together.

Our reunions happened at Essex Restaurant (Bottom Left) and Bar 89 ( Top Right). Sometimes there is a bigger turn out than others. We all still have fun regardless. I had scrap-lifted this layout from someone a long time ago; the semicircles are complementing the pictures. I have discovered a new love for brown. Ever since I saw a home make over show, where they turned color scheme in the bathroom to blue and brown, I think the brown matches with all pastels. Love it! If you can't tell already, I am addicted to my buttons. In a previous layout, I had done the button trail with flowers. I had bought these cute brown embellishments from Amazing Savings. I do not know why, but I think I am skewed shopper. I think that Amazing Savings is cheaper than the sale section at A.C.Moore. But it may not be true if I compare what I have purchased in terms of size and bulk. Maybe I should start tracking what I spend and how much these layouts cost me.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Internship applications have been my life the last week. The more I apply, the bleaker my chances look at finding something I would want. Thank goodness for Martin, for always having the levelheadedness to keep me calm and on my feet. Even after my fits, tantrums and outbursts, he remains unshaken and supportive. That is why there is no one better to be my Valentine this year than him. I would elect him to be the most wonderful boyfriend; but all the girlfriends will probably beg to differ and claim their boyfriends to be the best, which is a fair statement. So I will restate and say that he is the most wonderful in my life.

I started making his Valentine's Day gift weeks ago. I was also designing something for Crop Chocolate's January 2011 Challenge with the theme of {LOVE}. This assignment was perfect since I had to make the present anyway. I was looking forward to the goodies that were supposed to be shipped to my house while I was away on vacation in Europe. Unfortunately, some of the materials were on backorder so I was unable to use them for this design challenge. This is just the front cover to the present.

I like the simple-ness to it. Of course it had to encompass the typical color of Valentine's Day: Red. I received the "be mine" embellishment stickers from Crop Chocolates special "Hot Chocolate" packet that you can add onto your purchase for $2.50 at the end. You never know what you get; so the surprise is always fun. This treat came just in time for Valentine's Day. At least something was useful in the package. Everything other than the backdrop was materials from Crop Chocolate.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Martin and I had a really good dinner at Fishtail. Then it was a blast with the rest of my friends at LEI last night. I would say it was a great start on the twenty fourth year of my life. I was so glad that everyone was able to come out and celebrate with me.

Now I want to make a list of 24 things I want to do in the next year. A year from now, I want see how much I have accomplished.

Graduate Rutgers with an MBA with a marketing and supply chain management as concentrations

Move out and learn to live on my own

Find a paid marketing internship

Have a job in marketing

Go to a place I have not been yet ( Italy or Japan)

Finish reading "Tipping Point"

Fill two more journals.(currently on the one from Kate Paperie)

Have published 300 blog entries

Gone Skiing (not become good at it but to physically "go")

Learned how to curl my hair

Clean/Empty my room at home

Lose 15 pounds :)

Learn another language (possibly...)

Own an Epson Picture and afford to pay for the operations and maintenance

Enjoy my last two semesters of being a student

Save $$$

Stop spending so much

Spend more time with my parents and maybe learn to be more calm speaking to them

Friday, February 4, 2011

Recently, I saw on a friend's status "Today my life begins" ~ Bruno Mars. I decided to listen to it and loved it. It is so easy to relate to; anyone that hears it most likely will feel the same about how his life has been the last year. There are always going to be ups and downs, in the end it is your choice in how you live your life.

"I will break these chains that bind me, happiness will find me

Leave the past behind me, today my life begins

A whole new world is waiting it's mine for the taking

I know I can make it, today my life begins"

Blog Lifting off of Grams and her list on her blog for her Birthday. 23 things that happened in the last year. My life is not as exciting as some people's. In order to complete this list, I went back to my journals and reread my entries to remember. They are listed in chronological order to the best of my ability.

Learned to let loose and have fun with engineering classmates on Thursday nights

Learned to move on, let go, be happy again

Selected my design for the School of Engineering Open House t-shirt

Invited to the Dean's Dinner

Graduated Rutgers Engineering

Dinner at Eleven Madison Square Park with Grams and Dad

Saw my first circus show: Cirque du Soleil - Ovo

Moved to Edgewater for the summer

Interned in NYC for Department of Design and Construction

Shook hands with Mayor Giuliani

Watched the 4th of July fireworks over the Hudson

Cruised around NYC in the Spirit of New York

First Vacation Cruise to Canada

Moved to Newark

First semester of full time business school

Learned that I cannot cook

Introduced myself to my love for baking cupcakes

Blessed with a Great Roommate- Diana

Made awesome new business school friends

Met Martin

Trip to Europe: United Kingdom and Germany

My birthday started out better than I anticipated. I had an evening baking green tea cupcakes with my friend Lena. Then Diana came back from class and Mike came over for some sparkling apple pomegranate juice before midnight. Martin has a competition tomorrow so I did not anticipate him coming over tonight to join the mini celebration. But he sneaked in with the help of my roommate, Diana, and surprised me with flowers. Diana also made me an awesome birthday sign for my door.

With two very lovely presents I wasn't expecting, I think the rest of my day will only continue to get better.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater. ~Roman Polanski

A few years ago, Dandan surprised me for my birthday and took me to go see Wicked. Ever since, it has been my favorite Broadway show. I rave about it to everyone who hasn't seen it yet. When I was planning this layout, I imagined a gigantic witch hat and the picture at the opening. This is what came out. I also like to incorporate the Playbill into the layout as well, similar to my blog entry The Lion King. It is a little plain, but I would love suggestions on how to make it more lively.

I haven't had time lately to do anything new. Even though I came back from Europe early for a Career Fair that ended up being cancelled, I had not taken any scrapbooking supplies out. I received new toys over the break from Cropchocolate. Hopefully, I will get to use them soon on more recent projects. I cannot wait to scrapbook my winter break trip. My Paris trip took up four scrapbooks. This time, I might try to reduce the amount of pages.